Not weakness

The editor’s Saturday Column chides President Obama for removing from “Poland and other countries” anti-missile missile installations designed to protect Eastern European nations “against Soviet missile attack.” Does the editor have information unavailable to the general public? When the U.S. first proposed to base anti-missile missiles in Poland and radar guidance systems in the Czech Republic, the stated purpose was to defend those countries against missiles that could be developed by Iran or other “rogue nations.” Indeed, the U.S. stated that Russia would be a beneficiary, rather than a target, of the anti-missile defense system.

Certainly, republics of the former Soviet Union would qualify as rogues, but they were not the only target of the anti-missile system. Further, Russia claimed that the installations could be used to establish an Eastern European-based offensive capacity against Russia. It was for that reason — the escalation of tensions with Russia — that opposition to the installations was widespread in Poland, the Czech Republic and most of the rest of Europe. Redeployment of anti-missile defenses to regions where they can be more effective doesn’t qualify the president for a Peace Prize, but neither is it a sign of weakness.

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Comments

While you and I may not view it as weakness, as well as many EU countries, there are countries like Russia, China, North Korea and Iran that will view the act as one of weakness. They will see it as the US backing down to Russia and that will embolden them.

It is important not only to understand one's self, but also one's enemy. We should never make the mistake of believing that the aforementioned countries are not our enemies.

I advocate diplomacy, but diplomacy backed by a strong military, including strategically placed defense systems and the resolve to defend ourselves against attacks.

"there are countries like Russia, China, North Korea and Iran that will view the act as one of weakness. They will see it as the US backing down to Russia and that will embolden them."

In addition to your contention that they are our enemies, you must also be contending that they are idiots, unable to comprehend that a useless system was foregone in favor of (according to the US military) useful ones.

Hmmmmm......based on actions by N. Korea and iran I'd say there is a high probability that they are idiots. How else would you classify a country that allows it citizens to suffer because it wants to be a world nuclear power? Of a country whose leader says the holacust never happened?

Now Russia and China, in my estimation do not fall in this category which makes them very dangerous. Look at Russia's recent military actions toward Georgia.

Did Russia believe the system was effective? I don't know, but regardless they saw it as threat and demanded that it be moved and we did. In their mind and their citizens minds, they made America back down.

Let me ask you, if they knew it was a useless system then why did they oppose it being there?